This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Looking for a way to get just-in-time personalized PD? We've got the ticket for you. Join us as we explore the multi-faceted, free Microsoft Educators Community, aka the MEC. The MEC provides online training courses, video Quick Tips, lesson plans, virtual field trips, educator communities, resources, and more. Whether you're a beginner or a tech ninja, you'll find something on the MEC to pique your interest and grow your teaching toolbox. Start making your learning path today! Participants will: 1. Understand the components of the MEC and how to navigate this PD-rich site; 2. Learn the steps to become a Certified Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE); and 3. Discover how to map out learning paths to fit their own professional growth. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Want to optimize instructional time and enhance learning? You are in the right place. Explore the robust features of the Edge browser and Bing search engine. Learn how to make the text more accessible for all students. Go beyond basic search. Discover the power of online annotation, strategies for improving online reading, and bring the world into your classroom. Leave poised to use these free Microsoft tools across the curriculum to increase productivity and student engagement. Participants will: 1. Learn how to increase efficiency when working online; 2. Discover strategies for making online text accessible for all students; and 3. Explore ways to increase student engagement. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Knowing if students "caught what was taught" is crucial in instruction. These informal formative assessments can help you adjust your instructional plan to accommodate the needs of your students. Learn to use the data to allow students to move on who are ready while those who need additional instruction can have the attention they need. This session will introduce you to the concept of exit tickets and how they can be used in various content areas. Join us to explore the use of exit tickets and determine how they can fit into your instructional plan. Participants will: 1. Learn about the three categories of exit slips; 2. Understand how to use exit slip data; and 3. Plan for the use of exit tickets in your setting. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. If you are looking for an easy way to increase engagement in the classroom, look no further. Podcasting - creating audio recordings to deliver via the Internet - can be used by teachers to deliver instructional information and by students to demonstrate what they have learned. Join us to learn how to connect your classroom to the world beyond your walls. Encourage students to improve their digital and communication skills in all content areas. Understand how you can plan, produce and publish podcasts for free to support your classroom goals. Participants will: 1. Learn ways to use podcasting in the classroom; 2. Explore podcasting tools; and 3. Plan for the use of podcasting in the classroom. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

ClassClimate is an easy to use online tool to track students' moods throughout the day. Create an account using email and verify through the email link sent after registering. (Be sure to check your junk mail or spam folder if you don't receive the link in your inbox). Obtain student's feelings through the use of emojis in one of two ways. Share your class code and ask students to register or send a "Speed Read" link to all students. ClassClimate collects data for up to a month for your use in evaluating the mood of the class.

In the Classroom

Share ClassClimate with your students for use throughout the day to share their mood. Evaluate the data to understand when students feel frustrated or which events they enjoy. Use ClassClimate during professional development sessions to evaluate reactions from peers during training meetings as a way to understand how to develop effective interactions with others.

Pinside is an online bulletin board for sharing notes privately and publicly. Register using email to begin using Pinside. Choose "+New Note" to add a sticky note to your board. Add text to the note and an optional link to an image if desired. When finished, click "Add Note" to share your note to the bulletin board. Drag notes to any position on the board, delete unwanted notes by clicking the x by your name. Use Pinside's settings to add members using email addresses. Share your board with others using the URL of individual boards.

In the Classroom

Use Pinside as an easy collaboration tool with students, parents, and peers. Create a board for students to post questions about class assignments, due dates, or share information with others. Make another board just for parents and share links to resources, upcoming class events, and homework information. Collaborate with peers on a Pinside board to share lesson plans and technology resources. Ask students to use Pinside to organize resources used for any class project, then ask them to share a link to their board or include a screenshot with the final presentation.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Create your own interactive stories or guide your students as they create them. Google slides don't have to be linear presentations. Learn to create a nonlinear show that can engage learners while helping them learn content. Join us for this session where you will learn to create and use Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) stories. Participants will: 1. Review storytelling elements; 2. Understand how to create nonlinear slide shows; and 3. Learn ways to use CYOA slideshows in the classroom. This session is appropriate for teachers at the INTERMEDIATE technology level.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Would you like to hack your classroom and gain more instructional time with your students? Come learn tricks and tips for using Microsoft Office online more efficiently so that you can hack your classroom, save time, and gain more time to spend on what matters the most- your students! Participants will: 1. Explore Microsoft tools that can be used to create interactive lessons; 2. Learn to use Microsoft tools to simplify creating presentations; and 3. Convert handouts to digitally editable files. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Are you looking for ways to supplement your instruction with technology tools to engage your English Language Learners (ELLs)? Join us to learn about 3 tools you can use with all levels of ELLs. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening can all be practiced via various programs and tools. Learn how to enhance your ELL students' creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication skills. Participants will: 1. Understand the needs of ELL students within the classroom; 2. Explore three online tools to engage ELL students; and 3. Plan for the use of these tools in the classroom. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Ever wonder what else you can do with Google Slides? Using some of the built-in features of the tool can come in handy and help you in the classroom. Come to this session to learn a few cool tricks that will take your use of the tool to the next level. Learn a few productivity tips that will make a difference for you and your students. Change a few small things and increase the visual impact of the slides you create. Participants will: 1. Learn classroom hacks for the use of Google slides; 2. Understand productivity tips for Google slides; and 3. Understand the built-in features of Google Slides. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Chrome apps and extensions run in the Chrome browser, providing you or your students many great tools with ease. In this session, participants will explore apps and extensions useful in your classroom. You will learn how to find apps and extensions and install them in your Chrome browser. Come to this session and revolutionize your classroom. Note: You must have the Chrome browser installed prior to the start of the session. Participants will: 1. Learn how to locate extensions on the Chrome Web Store; 2. Explore a variety of apps and extensions that increase the functionality of the classroom and student learning; and 3. Find, install, and use apps or extensions for their use. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Dust off your digital passport and join us on a journey using the new Google Earth web. Learn the key features of Google Earth web and how to incorporate this powerful tool into your classroom instruction. The reimagined version of Google Earth includes features that go beyond the use of maps and satellite imagery. Users can now explore the world with Voyager, Google Earth's showcase of guided tours, and try out the 3D button to view places from any angle. Leave with classroom ideas and lesson planning resources. Participants will: 1. Get acquainted with the key features of Google Earth web; 2. Learn about interactive guided tours with Voyager; and 3. Get ideas for your own Tour for Google Earth web. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. TeachersFirst Reading Treks are built using Google Earth to chronicle the journey that a story character takes over the course of the book. Each stop along the way adds to student comprehension as they explore the information, visuals, and videos embedded in the map. Give your students context for the stories that they are reading by using Reading Treks in your lessons. Participants will: 1. Understand how to use Reading Treks in the classroom; 2. Learn how Reading Treks are created; and 3. Consider titles that could be used to create Reading Treks for their classroom. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from July 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Explore the teacher-friendly features of TeachersFirst to help you save time in developing technology-infused lessons. Participants will learn strategies to incorporate the tools of the web successfully into any classroom. Participants will: 1. Locate resources within TeachersFirst to provide real-world learning experiences for their students; 2. Locate and evaluate effective, web-based tools and resources in support of teaching and learning, both for themselves and for their students; and 3. Plan to use TeachersFirst's value-added reviews to plan technology-infused lessons. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

Reshot provides free, hand-picked images to use as you wish. The site's goal is to provide a platform for emerging photographers to share their work. Scroll through the site to view trending images or use the search feature to locate images by keyword. Choose your photo, then use the "download free" link to download to your computer.

In the Classroom

Use Reshot in the classroom any time images are needed for projects, even if the project is not put on a website for others to see. Even though the site says "no attribution required," it is a good idea to have students acknowledge, or as the site says "appreciate," the origin of the image; this will help to get students into the habit of citing their sources. Student groups can use Reshot to find the best image to use for a project collectively. Challenge students to create personalized images (with text) using PicFont, reviewed here. Teachers can collect images for use on their interactive whiteboard for sorting activities (monocots and dicots, producers and consumers, etc.). Use images as a writing prompt or in poetry collections. Art teachers can find images for students to use as references or in photo-montages (with attribution or "appreciation" as they say on the site). For an easy online photo editor and montage maker, try using Pixlr, reviewed here. Elementary teachers can use images from this site as part of student-run interactive whiteboard activities, such as labeling parts of plants. Speech and language or ESL/ELL teachers can find images to use in vocabulary development activities. World language teachers can find cultural photos to use in oral exercises.

FireWorks is a curriculum for all grade levels that teaches about the dangers of wildfires, specifically those that occur in the Northern America mountain ranges. Begin by selecting from the topics available on the home page. Download the entire curriculum as a PDF or choose individual components. All materials align with Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core Standards.

In the Classroom

Include materials from this site during your fire safety unit, Fire Prevention Week, or as part of your studies of North American biomes. Have students create free and easy websites using Carrd, reviewed here, to share information learned about fire safety, fire hazards, and fire prevention techniques. Ask students to create an online book incorporating videos, images, and more using Book Creator, reviewed here.

Transport learners back to the time of the Civil Rights Movement through a virtual learning experience. Listen to firsthand accounts, watch 14 videos, and explore many primary source documents found along the learning path. The journey explores seven themes and topics based on the Civil Rights Movement. As students travel the path, this site offers the option to clip and save information to their device for later use. Download the User Guide for complete information how to use the site, suggestions discussion questions, and extension activities.

In the Classroom

Be sure to include this virtual learning experience as part of Civil Rights lessons and Black History Month activities. Include a link to the experience on classroom computers for students to explore on their own. As students travel along the learning path, ask them to use an online note-taking tool like Webnote, reviewed here, to write down their thoughts and questions they may have. Have students find an image from the Civil Rights movement and create an annotated image using ThingLink, reviewed here. Thinglink offers tools for users to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. As students learn about Civil Rights events, ask them to step back in time and create podcasts from this time. Use Podcast Generator, reviewed here, a free tool for creating and sharing podcasts.

Teachers.io is an organization and planning website and app that works hand in hand with myHomework student planning app, reviewed here. Sign up to create classes, upload documents and assignments, and easily share announcements. Create your teacher profile for students and parents to view. Free accounts also include a blog for sharing information and pictures.

In the Classroom

Use Teachers.io to help organize information for yourself and your students. Upload your syllabus for easy access by students. Add homework assignments and due dates and include attachments for student use. Even if you already have a website, Teachers.io includes a widget to embed on your site for easy access to all features. Be sure to share myHomework with students for complete interaction between both sites and access to all features.

MyHomework is a digital student planner to track homework, assignments, tests, and more. This site uses a visually appealing calendar display to add classes and homework. Enter class information including start and end times, classroom number, teacher information, and notes. Add individual homework assignments or upload a syllabus to input multiple assignments. If your school uses Teachers.io, reviewed here, this app fully integrates with that platform to offer class information, notes, and more across both platforms.

In the Classroom

Share MyHomework with students as an excellent way to organize and plan homework assignments. Create a link on your class website for students to access, and discuss using this app during back to school meetings. This site works on computers and has apps for all devices so information is available across platforms.

Create, collaborate, and share flowcharts and diagrams with Diagramo, no account required. Click the link to "Try it Now!" to access your dashboard. Drag and drop shapes, add connections, change colors, and add images to shapes. When complete, save to your computer or create an account with Diagramo and save to your account.

In the Classroom

Have your class create organizers together, such as in a brainstorming session on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Assign students to "map" out a chapter or story. Assign groups to create study guides using this tool. Use this site for literature activities, research projects, social studies, or science topics. Use this site to create family trees or food pyramids in family and consumer science. Have students collaborate (online) to create group mind maps or review charts before tests on a given subject. Have students organize any concepts you study. They can color code concepts to show what they understand, wonder, and question. Have students map out a story, plot line, or plan for the future. Students can also map out a step-by-step process (such as a life cycle or how to solve an equation).